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solarbirdFocus on the Family still cranky (again cranky, really) against "outrageous" sex-ed curriculum in Maryland that says being queer is a normal sexual variation;
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM against ENDA pulls out the "special rights" language again; the "special rights for homosexuals" language is a lie on several levels, most importantly that by pretending that heterosexuality is not a sexual orientation, they claim that only queers - and not straights - get protection under things like ENDA. This is a lie. However, it's one they've been repeating for over a decade in these battles;
Focus on the Family unhappy as Governor Schwarzenegger only vetoes - for the second time - legalising same-sex marriage and doesn't veto the other four bills they were campaigning against, chief amoungst these being a bill saying that public school teachers couldn't teach anti-queer materials in school. Focus calls this "forc[ing] teachers to promote homosexuality" by "present[ing] a one-sided message";
"Teen Ranch" - fundamentalist run - got taken off the Michigan state list of "troubled teen" treatment centres. I'm not familiar with this particular one, but the fundamentalist movement has these set up in many areas across the country, and they're primarily religious camps. The Alliance Defense Fund has sued to get it back on the state rolls, and, hence, receiving state moneys;
Focus on the Family's "fact sheet" on ENDA does, for once, acknowledge that heterosexuality is included in sexual orientation, but then spends the rest of the time cranky about how queers in the workplace automatically hurt Christian employees and saying it'll drive litigation costs through the roof;
FotF - many times, actually, I'm not including them all - brings another round of "ex-gay" quackery, this time talking about a book (also described as a study) supporting the fundamentalist position. A quick check for the authors in Google Scholar turns up a whole series of pro-"ex-gay" papers and positions going back a decade or so, mostly in religious publications; their university, Wheaton College, has the motto "For Christ and His Kingdom," and is a religious institution first and foremost; the school is officially young-earth Creationist, for example, and requires "a biblical doctrine that is consonant with evangelical Christianity";
Focus on the Family "applauds" the study (...or book...) again in a separate article;
Maryland Supreme Court upholds state anti-GBLT marriage law; Focus on the Family demands state Constitutional amendment providing an extra layer of anti-gay ban anyway;
Focus on the Family's Gary Schneeberger says that while James Dobson isn't going to start a new party, he will be encouraging people to vote for a suitable third-party candidate this fall if certain leading Republican contenders take the nomination. I would presume this would be the Constitution Party, which is pretty much the Christian Reconstructionist party;
Focus on the Family brings its "ex-gay" roadshow to California;
Focus on the Family condemns the movie Golden Compass as "heretical," saying that it "promotes atheism and denigrates Christianity;" the Catholic League is in on this, too;
Focus on the Family promotes anti-marriage umbrella organisation, the "National Organisation for Marriage," says that "absolutely everything" is at stake; given that he's said same-sex marriage rights will destroy Western civilisation, I think he means everything everything;
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani is showing up at the big theoconservative confab in DC this weekend; we'll see how much bowing and scraping he does to get the Dobson crowd back in his fold;
I include this just because it's so completely not religious and purely political; Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM, carried forward from redstate.org, to demand Chris Matthews not be allowed to moderate any Republican debates because he's an "anti-Bush talk show host";
FotF: "Evangelicals" support Dobson's threats to the GOP, will follow him away;
Focus on the Family starts up something they normally use against abortion: they're suggesting that the HPV vaccine - the anti-cervical-cancer vaccine - kills people. They're hedging this much more than they do the anti-abortion health-claim rhetoric, but that it's there at all means they're looking to build a case against it if they can find a reason other than "we'd rather have women die of cervical cancer";
Focus on the Family reprints James Dobson's column in the New York Times saying that if the GOP doesn't nominate an anti-abortion and anti-queer candidate, they're walking;
Planned Parenthood opens clinic in Aurora, Illinois; fundamentalist leadership promises to run them out of town and close the clinic;
New US Supreme Court declines to hear appeal, allowing Alabama's "obscenity" ban to stand; sex toys are illegal in Alabama under this 1998 law; Focus on the Family wants to see active enforcement;
Focus on the Family says "Clergy Appreciation Month" is a great opportunity to get more politics in your church by getting pastors involved in politics;
Focus on the Family applauds 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that gender identity disorder / transwomen and transmen do not fall under "sexual orientation" in legal terms, so are not protected by state laws;
FotF propagates the "birth control causes abortions" lie in this story about a ruling by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals; this has been a big hobbyhorse of Concerned Women for America, the assertion that almost all forms of birth control "may sometimes cause an abortion," and is also part of their campaign against emergency birth control, a.k.a. "Plan B." Plan B is not an abortion drug; the confusion they engender is deliberate;
If he weren't retiring, I'd be headlining this higher up, but: Marine General Pace restates his opposition to allowing queer people in the military, and expands his comments to state that the military must "not, through the law of the land, condone activity that ... is counter to God's law."
Iowa pastors launch anti-marriage Constitutional drive;
Concerned Women for America and Focus on the Family say that ENDA without a the T isn't any better than ENDA with the T, and that businesses should be able to fire solely on the basis of sexual orientation, and that this is in fact vital to businesses owned by Christians.
----- 1 -----
Maryland Court Supports Outrageous Sex-Ed Curriculum
Focus on the Family
[Undated, but 15 October 2007]
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005702.cfm
Thanks to a Montgomery County Circuit Court ruling last week, Maryland students soon will learn that homosexuality, bisexuality and transvestitism are normal sexual variations.
The court rejected an appeal filed by pro-family groups, with help from the Thomas More Law Center.
The pro-family groups oppose the program on several grounds, according to the law center: (1) it teaches students that homosexuality is “innate”; (2) it teaches students that homosexuality is just another sexual option without warning students of long-term risks; (3) it labels as “homophobic” children who hold traditional religious or moral beliefs about homosexuality; and (4) it teaches students that transgenderism is just another “sexual orientation.”
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
House Set to Vote on Special Rights for Gay Employees
'This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, this is a moral values issue.'
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
10-15-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005705.cfm
A U.S. House vote is just around the corner on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) — a bill that gives homosexuals special rights in the workplace. ENDA would add "sexual orientation" to a list of federally protected classes that includes race and religion.
“My race is being compromised, in that gays are saying that they need protected status just like someone who’s of a race that they can’t change," said Bishop Harry Jackson, president of the High Impact Leadership Coalition.
“This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, this is a moral values issue, and it’s an issue of the integrity of the civil rights movement.”
ENDA has an exemption for religious institutions, but Maureen Wiebe, spokeswoman for the American Association of Christian Schools, said it’s too narrow.
“It would not seem that Christian schools would fall under the exemption for ENDA," she told Family News in Focus. "So ENDA could seriously affect the hiring rights of a Christian school.”
The House committee will take up ENDA on Wednesday. The bill would add special protections for "sexual orientation," but not "gender identity" — or transgendered individuals. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, has promised to add protection for "gender identity," as soon as she believes the votes are there.
Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said it's time to take action.
“We are very concerned because lawmakers are telling us that they are simply not hearing from their constituents on ENDA," she said. “People need to be calling their representatives and saying, ‘We do not support ENDA. Please vote "No" on ENDA.’”
TAKE ACTION
Urge your representative to oppose ENDA. If your representative serves on the Committee on Education and Labor, it's especially important they hear from you because they will vote on ENDA on Wednesday. Click here for a list of committee members. You can contact your representative through our Action Center.
----- 3 -----
Schwarzenegger Signs Anti-Family Bills Into Law
California governor forces teachers to promote homosexuality.
by Devon Williams, associate editor
Focus on the Family
10-15-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005704.cfm
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has again held true to his word to veto any gay-marriage bills that come across his desk. On Friday, he turned down AB 43, which would have lifted the state’s ban on same-sex "marriage."
While this is a victory for traditional marriage, the governor also passed several bills detrimental to California families.
Schwarzenegger signed a bill requiring all public school instruction and activities to promote and protect transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality to children as young as 5 years old.
The bill, which goes into effect Jan. 1, will force teachers to present a one-sided message about homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender issues. Further, it will ban lessons that present marriage solely between one man and one woman.
The governor also approved bills to end local oversight of school discrimination policies; change rights for domestic partners; and add even more special protection for homosexuals to state laws.
Though Schwarzenegger is opposed to same-sex "marriage," he stated in his veto letter that he still supports domestic-partnership rights and will continue to defend and enforce those rights.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
ADF Asks Supreme Court to Hear Michigan Teen Ranch Case
Focus on the Family
9-14-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005473.cfm
Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case about a government agency refusing to place troubled teens in a Christian-based treatment center.
Michigan Family Independence Agency, which places abused and neglected youth in residential care facilities, took Teen Ranch off its list because of its faith-based program. Although Michigan law allows teens to opt out, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court ruling that teenagers were “children” and therefore incapable of exercising their right to opt out effectively.
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Why Businesses Should Oppose the
Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act
(ENDA) H.R. 2015
Focus on the Family
14 September 2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/pdfs/09-14-07enda_business.pdf
Businesses are already prohibited from hiring, firing or making employment decisions based a person’s race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age or disability. Now Congress wants to add yet another category to this class, entitled “actual or perceived sexual orientation.” Sexual orientation includes homosexuality, heterosexuality or “bisexuality.” ENDA advocates ask, "How could adding one more category of protection hurt businesses?" Here’s how:
ENDA is Bad for the Bottom Line.
ENDA is a litigation minefield. It opens yet another avenue by which disgruntled employees or potential employees may sue. Employers are already required to protect their employees’ religious freedom in the workplace, and many religious faiths oppose the practice or endorsement of homosexuality. Thus, protecting religious freedom and “actual or perceived sexual orientation” makes for inevitable workplace litigation.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Researchers Say Sexual Orientation Can Change
Book released today reveals it's difficult, but possible.
by Devon Williams, associate editor
Focus on the Family
09-13-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005470.cfm
Despite claims by some mental-health experts, new research indicates that a change in sexual orientation is possible for some homosexuals. In the book Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation, which was released today, authors Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse address two of the most disputed questions in the homosexuality debate: Is change possible and can the attempt to change be harmful?
C. S. Lewis said that science produced by Christians would have to be “perfectly honest. Science twisted in the interests of apologetics would be sin and folly.” Jones and Yarhouse took Lewis’ advice to heart as they conducted their research, which produced what publisher InterVarsity Press claims to be “the most scientifically rigorous study of its kind to date.”
[Editor's note: Wheaton College (IL) is a fundamentalist religious college that officially requires "biblical doctrine that is consonant with evangelical Christianity" in all educational practices, and is, accordingly, officially young-earth Creationist, just for example. InterVarsity Press is a publisher of Christian apologetics, books on theology, "Christian living," evangelism, discipleship, biblical studies, and so on. They are also a division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. They have no apparent record of significant science work.]
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Focus on the Family Applauds Study on Leaving Homosexuality
Focus on the Family
9-17-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005482.cfm
A new study that confirms long-term change away from homosexuality is possible is being lauded by Focus on the Family. The full results were released last week in the book Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation by Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse. It is the world’s first longitudinal, peer-reviewed study of its kind.
At the end of the three-year study, 67 percent of participants either reported a change toward heterosexual orientation or were successfully continuing work toward that goal.
“While we’ve known all along that long-term change is possible for people with unwanted same-sex attractions, it’s interesting to note how high the percentage of reported change was,” said Melissa Fryrear, director of Focus on the Family’s gender issues department. “These results are comparable with the success rates for dealing with other difficult issues, like depression, and more favorable than those reported by U.S. Department of Labor tax-funded programs in overcoming substance abuse.”
Fryrear is also a speaker at Focus’ Love Won Out conferences, which educate attendees on the issues surrounding homosexuality and is led primarily by men and women who, like Fryrear, previously self-identified as homosexuals. “This study bolsters our position of advocating for people’s right to self-determination. If someone has unwanted same-sex attraction, it is their right to seek alternatives to change,” she said.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Stanton Jones talked with CitizenLink last week. Read the interview here.
----- 8 -----
Maryland High Court Affirms Marriage
Constitutional amendment still needed to protect it from the Legislature.
by Devon Williams, associate editor
Focus on the Family
9-18-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005499.cfm
Maryland’s highest court today upheld a state law that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Nine gay couples, who had been denied marriage licenses, filed suit with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, claiming that Maryland’s law defining marriage as solely between one man and one woman was unconstitutional. A lower court overturned the law in 2006, saying it amounted to “sex discrimination” and violated the state's Equal Rights Amendment. But the Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, set the record straight in a split decision.
[...]
State Sen. Richard Madaleno has announced he will introduce a bill to allow same-sex "marriage." That's why Doug Stiegler, executive director of the Association of Maryland Families, said the state needs a constitutional amendment protecting marriage.
“While we are delighted that the court made the ruling,” he said, “our job is still cut out for us.”
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
Friday Five: Gary Schneeberger
Focus on the Family Action’s vice president of media relations sorts through some of the controversy that has swirled around Dr. James Dobson in the past few weeks regarding Election ’08.
CitizenLink staff
Focus on the Family
10-12-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005698.cfm
Dr. James Dobson has been squarely in the center of the media spotlight in the last couple of weeks, with reporters and pundits using up a lot of ink and airtime dissecting his statements about the race for the White House.
There’s a lot of information out there — an Oct. 1 Associated Press story about a meeting Dr. Dobson attended in which launching a third party was discussed; Dr. Dobson’s own Oct. 4 op-ed in The New York Times detailing what transpired at the meeting; a couple of interviews with Sean Hannity — so CitizenLink figured it would help readers sort it all out by running five questions past Focus on the Family Action’s vice president of media relations, Gary Schneeberger.
[...]
Dr. Dobson never has said he will personally start a third party or even support efforts to create a new party. All he has said, and you can look it up in his editorial that ran in The New York Times last week, is, “If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate.” That’s not the same as saying, “I’m going to build my own party from the ground up.” It merely is saying, “I’ll look for a candidate who is consistent with my values, who is already running in the primary, and I’ll cast my vote for him.”
One more thing important to note here, from that sentence I just quoted from the Times op-ed, is the word “if.” That’s a huge word to helping understand his perspective. No matter what the polls and pundits are saying, we don’t know the two names that are going to be on the top of that general-election ballot come next November. We’re still in a primary season. And the comments Dr. Dobson has been making in the past few weeks are meant to be understood in that context. There is still time, as values voters, for us to have a voice in who gets the nominations of the two major parties. There are still people out there who agree with us on protecting the preborn, who agree with us on the importance of protecting marriage — and who knows where some of those candidates will be between now and 13 months from now when the election is held?
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
Love Won Out Comes to California
Focus on the Family
10-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005662.cfm
Focus on the Family’s Love Won Out conference will be in Irvine, Calif., on Saturday with a message that change is possible for men and women who want to overcome same-sex attraction.
“Our conference brings hope to people who are unsatisfied living as a gay or lesbian, or who are struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions,” said Melissa Fryrear, director of Focus on the Family’s Gender Issues Department and a Love Won Out speaker.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Golden Compass Reveals a World Where There is No God
Parents need to pay attention to movie that promotes atheism and denigrates Christianity.
Focus on the Family
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
10-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005672.cfm
Golden Compass, which hits theaters in December, creates a parallel world where human souls take the form of animal companions. It's based on Philip Pullman's first novel in His Dark Materials trilogy. It's touted as the next, best fantasy series, but family advocates say parents need to beware.
"The problem is that kids may see the film and ask their parents for the books," said Kiera McCaffrey, director of communications for the Catholic League. "The trilogy of books, especially the third volume, promotes atheism and denigrates Christianity. This is central to the plot.
"We would advise parents not to take their children to see the film, and certainly not to buy them the books. The danger is that parents will not realize, from the film, what Pullman is promoting. Pullman's trilogy shows a world where there is no God."
Adam Holz, associate editor for Focus on the Family's Plugged In magazine and Web site, called the series "heretical."
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
Defending Marriage: Broadcast Guests Call Nation to Action
Dr. Dobson says, 'It's not just marriage that is at stake, it's absolutely everything.'
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
10-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005673.cfm
In just a few years, traditional marriage could lose support under the law. On Wednesday's Focus on the Family radio broadcast, Dr. James C. Dobson and his guests urge pro-family Americans to do something about it.
"This has been an ongoing struggle that burns in our hearts," Dr. Dobson says. "And now, marriage is really on the brink, and I don't know how to emphasize that more."
Joining him on the broadcast are Maggie Gallagher, writer, speaker and president of the National Organization for Marriage; Robbie George, author and professor of law at Princeton University; and Chuck Colson, author and founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries.
"In a couple of years, a third of the country could easily be living under same-sex marriage," Gallagher says. "We have 60, 65 percent of Americans on our side. Why are people so afraid to talk about it?"
Colson says it's time to stand up and fight.
"What alarms me the most is that there's a malaise in the country, where our supporters are giving up on politics," he says. "I think a lot of good people are saying, 'We're going to wash our hands of this. We don't want to get involved.'"
George says time is short.
"I think we have a window of between two and five years," he says. "The collapse of marriage, literally the abolition of marriage, is not 10 years down the road — it's two to five years down the road. It could happen, and it will happen, if we don't step forward."
FOR MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about the National Organization for Marriage, visit the Web site or call (888) 894-3604.
LISTEN TO THE BROADCAST
Dr. Dobson and his guests discuss the institution of marriage on Wednesday's broadcast. You can listen online.
----- 13 -----
Giuliani Joins Washington Briefing
Focus on the Family
10-8-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005660.cfm
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the ninth presidential candidate to join the Washington Briefing 2007: Values Voter Summit. He'll appear along with Sen. Sam Brownback, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Rep. Duncan Hunter, Sen. John McCain, Rep. Ron Paul, Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Tom Tancredo and Sen. Fred Thompson.
The three-day conference, to be held Oct. 19-21 at the Hilton Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C., will include a presidential straw poll, exhibit hall and book signings.
[more at URL]
----- 14 -----
Take Action: Anti-Bush Talk-Show Host to Moderate GOP Debate
Focus on the Family
10-8-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005655.cfm
Last week, NBC talk-show host Chris Matthews went on a tirade against the Bush administration, saying, "They've finally been caught in their criminality."
On Tuesday, Matthews will moderate a Republican presidential debate.
Erick Erickson, CEO of RedState.com, is urging Republican candidates and voters to call Matthews on the carpet for his bias.
"I will be gravely disappointed if the GOP candidates do not make an issue of this at the debate," he wrote on his Web site. "If the GOP candidates are too chicken to take on Chris Matthews before a live television audience on Matthew's gross bias, they will have disgraced us all."
TAKE ACTION
Tell NBC that Chris Matthews is too biased to host the Republican debate. You may send a message through our new, easier-to-use Action Center.
WATCH THE DEBATE
The two-hour debate will be broadcast live Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET on CNBC and re-broadcast at 9 p.m. ET on MSNBC.
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
New York Times Poll: Evangelicals Agree with Dr. Dobson
Majority only will support a presidential candidate who shares their values.
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
10-8-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005659.cfm
A New York Times/CBS News poll shows white, evangelical Republicans agree with Dr. James Dobson.
Nearly 60 percent of those who plan to vote in the primaries said they could not support a candidate they didn't agree with on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. Eighty-six percent said presidential candidates should be judged on both their political record and their personal life.
Dr. Dobson has taken a beating in the media for promising to vote only for a candidate who shares his basic values, even if that means supporting a third-party candidate.
Last week, he wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times to clarify his position: "Speaking personally, and not for the organization I represent, I firmly believe that the selection of a president should begin with a recommitment to traditional moral values and beliefs. Those include the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, and other inviolable pro-family principles. Only after that determination is made can the acceptability of a nominee be assessed."
Rick Scarborough, president of Vision America, a Texas-based group that has a network of 5,000 pastors willing to mobilize their churches to vote, said evangelicals are not bluffing.
“I am not going to cast a sacred vote granted to me by the blood of millions of God-fearing Americans who died on the fields of battle for freedom, for a candidate who says it’s OK to kill the unborn,” he told The Times. “I just can’t.”
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Group Tracks Adverse Reactions to HPV Vaccine
Pay attention to side effects, but don't jump to conclusions.
Focus on the Family
10-5-2007
from staff reports
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005645.cfm
After pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to release what it knows about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Judicial Watch discovered multiple negative effects.
The public interest group found more than 3,000 adverse reactions linked to Gardasil, which protects against the sexually transmitted HPV. For example, this year, a 17-year-old girl died the day she received the vaccination. In another case, a 12-year-old girl with a heart condition died after one dose of the vaccine.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said parents need to know what’s happening.
“Some people get paralyzed," he told Family News in Focus. "If you’re pregnant and you take the vaccine, there’s a significant chance of birth defects, spontaneous abortion. Whether it be direct or indirect, it certainly raises questions.”
Linda Klepacki, analyst for sexual health at Focus on the Family Action, said the public needs to pay attention to the negative side effects, but not jump to conclusions.
“Cause and effect from one factor is difficult to prove, and it takes a lot of time to prove that," she said. "So, we need to be careful not to be alarmist.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Focus on the Family supports widespread availability of Gardasil, but not mandated vaccination. Visit the Focus on Social Issues Web site.
----- 17 -----
The Values Test
Dr. Dobson says winning an election is important, but not at the expense of our core beliefs.
by James C. Dobson, Ph.D., founder and chairman
Focus on the Family
10-4-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005632.cfm
Reports have surfaced in the press about a meeting that occurred last Saturday in Salt Lake City involving more than 50 pro-family leaders. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss our response if both the Democratic and Republican Parties nominate standard-bearers who are supportive of abortion. Although I was neither the convener nor the moderator of the meeting, I’d like to offer several brief clarifications about its outcome and implications.
After two hours of deliberation, we voted on a resolution that can be summarized as follows: If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate. Those agreeing with the proposition were invited to stand. The result was almost unanimous.
The other issue discussed at length concerned the advisability of creating a third party if Democrats and Republicans do indeed abandon the sanctity of human life and other traditional family values. Though there was some support for the proposal, no consensus emerged.
Speaking personally, and not for the organization I represent or the other leaders gathered in Salt Lake City, I firmly believe that the selection of a president should begin with a recommitment to traditional moral values and beliefs. Those include the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, and other inviolable pro-family principles. Only after that determination is made can the acceptability of a nominee be assessed.
The other approach, which I find problematic, is to choose a candidate according to the likelihood of electoral success or failure. Polls don’t measure right and wrong; voting according to the possibility of winning or losing can lead directly to the compromise of one’s principles. In the present political climate, it could result in the abandonment of cherished beliefs that conservative Christians have promoted and defended for decades. Winning the presidential election is vitally important, but not at the expense of what we hold most dear.
One other clarification is germane, even though unrelated to the meeting in Salt Lake City. The secular news media has been reporting in recent months that the conservative Christian movement is hopelessly fractured and internally antagonistic. The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday, for example, that supporters of traditional family values are rapidly “splintering.” That is not true. The near unanimity in Salt Lake City is evidence of much greater harmony than supposed. Admittedly, differences of opinion exist among us about our choices for president.
That divergence is entirely reasonable, now just over a year before the national election. It is hardly indicative of a “splintering” of old alliances. If the major political parties decide to abandon conservative principles, the cohesion of pro-family advocates will be all too apparent in 2008.
(This piece originally appeared as an op-ed in today's New York Times.)
----- 18 -----
Planned Parenthood Opens Nation's Largest Abortion Clinic
Focus on the Family
10-2-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005609.cfm
Hundreds of life advocates peacefully protested and prayed today outside the Aurora, Ill., Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, which was allowed to open after a 14-day delay.
City officials determined Monday that Planned Parenthood’s permit application did not violate any laws or city ordinances. Mayor Tom Weisner gave the green light for the $7.5 million facility to open.
The opening was delayed after Planned Parenthood was accused of committing fraud by applying for building permits under a front company.
Just before the opening, Peter Breen, on behalf of the Thomas More Society in Chicago, filed an appeal with the Aurora Zoning Board of Appeals.
"It won't be over until Planned Parenthood leaves Aurora," Eric Scheidler, a spokesman for the Pro-Life Action League, told The Associated Press.
----- 19 -----
Supreme Court Lets Alabama Obscenity Ban Stand
Focus on the Family
10-2-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005610.cfm
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear an appeal on Alabama’s obscenity ban, leaving the 1998 law intact.
[...]
"The Supreme Court's decision to keep Alabama's law intact is a victory for families and citizens concerned about public decency,” said Daniel Weiss, senior media and sexuality analyst for Focus on the Family Action.
“The next step is to make sure sex shops are actually cleaning out their inventories. Upholding the law is one thing, but consistently enforcing it is an entirely different matter. The citizens of Alabama will need to remain vigilant on this issue."
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Celebrate Pastors During Clergy Appreciation Month
It's also a great time to encourage them to get involved politically.
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
10-2-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005616.cfm
Every October, congregations across the nation set aside time to honor their pastors for their hard work and sacrificial dedication. It's time to do that again.
"As a pastor myself for over three decades, I know firsthand both how difficult and how rewarding it can be to serve a congregation," said H.B. London, vice president of church and clergy ministries at Focus on the Family. "I've discovered that one of the most important things a pastor needs is encouragement and affirmation from his congregation."
[...]
In addition to saying, "Thank you," it's a great time to let pastors know how they can be involved in the political arena and speak biblical truth on the moral issues of the day.
Constitutional Protections for Pastors outlines what pastors can and can't do as they get involved. It was released this week by Focus on the Family, the Alliance Defense Fund, Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America and the James Madison Center for Free Speech.
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
Appeals Court: No Special Rights for Transsexuals
ENDA legislation would tie the hands of employers.
Focus on the Family
by Devon Williams, associate editor
9-25-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/aaa/topstory.html
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that transsexuals are not a protected class and affirmed a transportation company’s decision to terminate a male bus driver for planning to use public women's restrooms during work. Under pending legislation in Congress, the outcome could have been drastically different.
Michael Etsitty was hired by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), but later told his supervisor he was living as a female named Krystal.
The bus company terminated Etsitty’s employment based on concerns that the use of women’s restrooms by a biological male wearing a UTA uniform could result in liability.
Etsitty sued, claiming he was discriminated against because of his sexuality. The court said UTA’s decision constitutes a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the termination.
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
Appeals Court Says Teen is Entitled to Morning-After Pill
Focus on the Family
9-26-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005559.cfm
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled Friday there's no need to notify parents before or after giving a teenager the morning-after pill, which may sometimes cause an abortion.
Melissa Anspach, then 16, visited the city health clinic in January 2004 and spoke briefly with a social worker before a nurse gave her one dose at the clinic and a second dose to take 12 hours later. She experienced severe abdominal pains and vomiting after taking the medication. She told her parents about the drug, and they took her to a hospital, where she was treated and released, The Associated Press reported.
The Anspachs raised religious objections to the clinic's actions.
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
General Stands by Biblical View of Homosexuality
Focus on the Famliy
9-27-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005567.cfm
A week before his retirement, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said in a Senate hearing Wednesday that homosexuality is immoral and should not be condoned by the military. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wanted to clarify similar statements he made in May to the Chicago Tribune that were inaccurately reported.
Though the U.S. Military Code of Justice prohibits homosexual activity in the military, Pace said he would be willing to support changes to the policy, as long as it didn’t violate his belief that sex should be between one man and one woman within marriage.
"We need to be very precise then, about what I said wearing my stars and being very conscious of it," Pace told the Senate Appropriations Committee. "And that is, very simply, that we should respect those who want to serve the nation but not, through the law of the land, condone activity that, in my upbringing, is counter to God's law."
----- 24 -----
Iowa Pastors Push Marriage Amendment
Focus on the Family
10-1-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005599.cfm
More than a dozen Iowa pastors came together last week to defend traditional marriage after a renegade judge struck down the state's Defense of Marriage Act in August. The case is headed for the Iowa Supreme Court.
Church leaders plan to urge their congregations to talk to lawmakers about amending Iowa's constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman, KCCI TV reports.
"God's word is clear to us that marriage is between one man and one woman. Therefore, we are here to stand in unity," said the Rev. Keith Ratliff of Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church in Des Moines.
----- 25 -----
New ENDA Language Still Falls Short
U.S. House committee will work on the legislation Tuesday.
Focus on the Family
from staff reports
10-1-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005602.cfm
A vote is just around the corner on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) — a bill that gives homosexuals special rights in the workplace. New language in the legislation removes the category of "gender identity" and supposedly protects religious organizations, but employers are still put between a rock and a hard place.
“We still have the problem that 'actual or perceived sexual orientation' now would be considered a protected category," said Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst with Focus on the Family Action. "And we’ve only granted protected status to seven categories under federal law.”
Matt Barber with Concerned Women for America said ENDA doesn’t protect the freedom of conscience for Christians who run secular businesses.
“For instance, if a business owner who owned a small landscaping company was a Christian, and he chose to not hire individuals who were engaging in immoral sexual behavior, this bill would not protect him," he told Family News in Focus.
[More at URL]
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM against ENDA pulls out the "special rights" language again; the "special rights for homosexuals" language is a lie on several levels, most importantly that by pretending that heterosexuality is not a sexual orientation, they claim that only queers - and not straights - get protection under things like ENDA. This is a lie. However, it's one they've been repeating for over a decade in these battles;
Focus on the Family unhappy as Governor Schwarzenegger only vetoes - for the second time - legalising same-sex marriage and doesn't veto the other four bills they were campaigning against, chief amoungst these being a bill saying that public school teachers couldn't teach anti-queer materials in school. Focus calls this "forc[ing] teachers to promote homosexuality" by "present[ing] a one-sided message";
"Teen Ranch" - fundamentalist run - got taken off the Michigan state list of "troubled teen" treatment centres. I'm not familiar with this particular one, but the fundamentalist movement has these set up in many areas across the country, and they're primarily religious camps. The Alliance Defense Fund has sued to get it back on the state rolls, and, hence, receiving state moneys;
Focus on the Family's "fact sheet" on ENDA does, for once, acknowledge that heterosexuality is included in sexual orientation, but then spends the rest of the time cranky about how queers in the workplace automatically hurt Christian employees and saying it'll drive litigation costs through the roof;
FotF - many times, actually, I'm not including them all - brings another round of "ex-gay" quackery, this time talking about a book (also described as a study) supporting the fundamentalist position. A quick check for the authors in Google Scholar turns up a whole series of pro-"ex-gay" papers and positions going back a decade or so, mostly in religious publications; their university, Wheaton College, has the motto "For Christ and His Kingdom," and is a religious institution first and foremost; the school is officially young-earth Creationist, for example, and requires "a biblical doctrine that is consonant with evangelical Christianity";
Focus on the Family "applauds" the study (...or book...) again in a separate article;
Maryland Supreme Court upholds state anti-GBLT marriage law; Focus on the Family demands state Constitutional amendment providing an extra layer of anti-gay ban anyway;
Focus on the Family's Gary Schneeberger says that while James Dobson isn't going to start a new party, he will be encouraging people to vote for a suitable third-party candidate this fall if certain leading Republican contenders take the nomination. I would presume this would be the Constitution Party, which is pretty much the Christian Reconstructionist party;
Focus on the Family brings its "ex-gay" roadshow to California;
Focus on the Family condemns the movie Golden Compass as "heretical," saying that it "promotes atheism and denigrates Christianity;" the Catholic League is in on this, too;
Focus on the Family promotes anti-marriage umbrella organisation, the "National Organisation for Marriage," says that "absolutely everything" is at stake; given that he's said same-sex marriage rights will destroy Western civilisation, I think he means everything everything;
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani is showing up at the big theoconservative confab in DC this weekend; we'll see how much bowing and scraping he does to get the Dobson crowd back in his fold;
I include this just because it's so completely not religious and purely political; Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM, carried forward from redstate.org, to demand Chris Matthews not be allowed to moderate any Republican debates because he's an "anti-Bush talk show host";
FotF: "Evangelicals" support Dobson's threats to the GOP, will follow him away;
Focus on the Family starts up something they normally use against abortion: they're suggesting that the HPV vaccine - the anti-cervical-cancer vaccine - kills people. They're hedging this much more than they do the anti-abortion health-claim rhetoric, but that it's there at all means they're looking to build a case against it if they can find a reason other than "we'd rather have women die of cervical cancer";
Focus on the Family reprints James Dobson's column in the New York Times saying that if the GOP doesn't nominate an anti-abortion and anti-queer candidate, they're walking;
Planned Parenthood opens clinic in Aurora, Illinois; fundamentalist leadership promises to run them out of town and close the clinic;
New US Supreme Court declines to hear appeal, allowing Alabama's "obscenity" ban to stand; sex toys are illegal in Alabama under this 1998 law; Focus on the Family wants to see active enforcement;
Focus on the Family says "Clergy Appreciation Month" is a great opportunity to get more politics in your church by getting pastors involved in politics;
Focus on the Family applauds 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that gender identity disorder / transwomen and transmen do not fall under "sexual orientation" in legal terms, so are not protected by state laws;
FotF propagates the "birth control causes abortions" lie in this story about a ruling by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals; this has been a big hobbyhorse of Concerned Women for America, the assertion that almost all forms of birth control "may sometimes cause an abortion," and is also part of their campaign against emergency birth control, a.k.a. "Plan B." Plan B is not an abortion drug; the confusion they engender is deliberate;
If he weren't retiring, I'd be headlining this higher up, but: Marine General Pace restates his opposition to allowing queer people in the military, and expands his comments to state that the military must "not, through the law of the land, condone activity that ... is counter to God's law."
Iowa pastors launch anti-marriage Constitutional drive;
Concerned Women for America and Focus on the Family say that ENDA without a the T isn't any better than ENDA with the T, and that businesses should be able to fire solely on the basis of sexual orientation, and that this is in fact vital to businesses owned by Christians.
----- 1 -----
Maryland Court Supports Outrageous Sex-Ed Curriculum
Focus on the Family
[Undated, but 15 October 2007]
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005702.cfm
Thanks to a Montgomery County Circuit Court ruling last week, Maryland students soon will learn that homosexuality, bisexuality and transvestitism are normal sexual variations.
The court rejected an appeal filed by pro-family groups, with help from the Thomas More Law Center.
The pro-family groups oppose the program on several grounds, according to the law center: (1) it teaches students that homosexuality is “innate”; (2) it teaches students that homosexuality is just another sexual option without warning students of long-term risks; (3) it labels as “homophobic” children who hold traditional religious or moral beliefs about homosexuality; and (4) it teaches students that transgenderism is just another “sexual orientation.”
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
House Set to Vote on Special Rights for Gay Employees
'This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, this is a moral values issue.'
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
10-15-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005705.cfm
A U.S. House vote is just around the corner on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) — a bill that gives homosexuals special rights in the workplace. ENDA would add "sexual orientation" to a list of federally protected classes that includes race and religion.
“My race is being compromised, in that gays are saying that they need protected status just like someone who’s of a race that they can’t change," said Bishop Harry Jackson, president of the High Impact Leadership Coalition.
“This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, this is a moral values issue, and it’s an issue of the integrity of the civil rights movement.”
ENDA has an exemption for religious institutions, but Maureen Wiebe, spokeswoman for the American Association of Christian Schools, said it’s too narrow.
“It would not seem that Christian schools would fall under the exemption for ENDA," she told Family News in Focus. "So ENDA could seriously affect the hiring rights of a Christian school.”
The House committee will take up ENDA on Wednesday. The bill would add special protections for "sexual orientation," but not "gender identity" — or transgendered individuals. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, has promised to add protection for "gender identity," as soon as she believes the votes are there.
Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said it's time to take action.
“We are very concerned because lawmakers are telling us that they are simply not hearing from their constituents on ENDA," she said. “People need to be calling their representatives and saying, ‘We do not support ENDA. Please vote "No" on ENDA.’”
TAKE ACTION
Urge your representative to oppose ENDA. If your representative serves on the Committee on Education and Labor, it's especially important they hear from you because they will vote on ENDA on Wednesday. Click here for a list of committee members. You can contact your representative through our Action Center.
----- 3 -----
Schwarzenegger Signs Anti-Family Bills Into Law
California governor forces teachers to promote homosexuality.
by Devon Williams, associate editor
Focus on the Family
10-15-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005704.cfm
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has again held true to his word to veto any gay-marriage bills that come across his desk. On Friday, he turned down AB 43, which would have lifted the state’s ban on same-sex "marriage."
While this is a victory for traditional marriage, the governor also passed several bills detrimental to California families.
Schwarzenegger signed a bill requiring all public school instruction and activities to promote and protect transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexuality to children as young as 5 years old.
The bill, which goes into effect Jan. 1, will force teachers to present a one-sided message about homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender issues. Further, it will ban lessons that present marriage solely between one man and one woman.
The governor also approved bills to end local oversight of school discrimination policies; change rights for domestic partners; and add even more special protection for homosexuals to state laws.
Though Schwarzenegger is opposed to same-sex "marriage," he stated in his veto letter that he still supports domestic-partnership rights and will continue to defend and enforce those rights.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
ADF Asks Supreme Court to Hear Michigan Teen Ranch Case
Focus on the Family
9-14-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005473.cfm
Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case about a government agency refusing to place troubled teens in a Christian-based treatment center.
Michigan Family Independence Agency, which places abused and neglected youth in residential care facilities, took Teen Ranch off its list because of its faith-based program. Although Michigan law allows teens to opt out, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court ruling that teenagers were “children” and therefore incapable of exercising their right to opt out effectively.
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Why Businesses Should Oppose the
Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act
(ENDA) H.R. 2015
Focus on the Family
14 September 2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/pdfs/09-14-07enda_business.pdf
Businesses are already prohibited from hiring, firing or making employment decisions based a person’s race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age or disability. Now Congress wants to add yet another category to this class, entitled “actual or perceived sexual orientation.” Sexual orientation includes homosexuality, heterosexuality or “bisexuality.” ENDA advocates ask, "How could adding one more category of protection hurt businesses?" Here’s how:
ENDA is Bad for the Bottom Line.
ENDA is a litigation minefield. It opens yet another avenue by which disgruntled employees or potential employees may sue. Employers are already required to protect their employees’ religious freedom in the workplace, and many religious faiths oppose the practice or endorsement of homosexuality. Thus, protecting religious freedom and “actual or perceived sexual orientation” makes for inevitable workplace litigation.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Researchers Say Sexual Orientation Can Change
Book released today reveals it's difficult, but possible.
by Devon Williams, associate editor
Focus on the Family
09-13-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005470.cfm
Despite claims by some mental-health experts, new research indicates that a change in sexual orientation is possible for some homosexuals. In the book Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation, which was released today, authors Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse address two of the most disputed questions in the homosexuality debate: Is change possible and can the attempt to change be harmful?
C. S. Lewis said that science produced by Christians would have to be “perfectly honest. Science twisted in the interests of apologetics would be sin and folly.” Jones and Yarhouse took Lewis’ advice to heart as they conducted their research, which produced what publisher InterVarsity Press claims to be “the most scientifically rigorous study of its kind to date.”
[Editor's note: Wheaton College (IL) is a fundamentalist religious college that officially requires "biblical doctrine that is consonant with evangelical Christianity" in all educational practices, and is, accordingly, officially young-earth Creationist, just for example. InterVarsity Press is a publisher of Christian apologetics, books on theology, "Christian living," evangelism, discipleship, biblical studies, and so on. They are also a division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. They have no apparent record of significant science work.]
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Focus on the Family Applauds Study on Leaving Homosexuality
Focus on the Family
9-17-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005482.cfm
A new study that confirms long-term change away from homosexuality is possible is being lauded by Focus on the Family. The full results were released last week in the book Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation by Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse. It is the world’s first longitudinal, peer-reviewed study of its kind.
At the end of the three-year study, 67 percent of participants either reported a change toward heterosexual orientation or were successfully continuing work toward that goal.
“While we’ve known all along that long-term change is possible for people with unwanted same-sex attractions, it’s interesting to note how high the percentage of reported change was,” said Melissa Fryrear, director of Focus on the Family’s gender issues department. “These results are comparable with the success rates for dealing with other difficult issues, like depression, and more favorable than those reported by U.S. Department of Labor tax-funded programs in overcoming substance abuse.”
Fryrear is also a speaker at Focus’ Love Won Out conferences, which educate attendees on the issues surrounding homosexuality and is led primarily by men and women who, like Fryrear, previously self-identified as homosexuals. “This study bolsters our position of advocating for people’s right to self-determination. If someone has unwanted same-sex attraction, it is their right to seek alternatives to change,” she said.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Stanton Jones talked with CitizenLink last week. Read the interview here.
----- 8 -----
Maryland High Court Affirms Marriage
Constitutional amendment still needed to protect it from the Legislature.
by Devon Williams, associate editor
Focus on the Family
9-18-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005499.cfm
Maryland’s highest court today upheld a state law that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Nine gay couples, who had been denied marriage licenses, filed suit with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, claiming that Maryland’s law defining marriage as solely between one man and one woman was unconstitutional. A lower court overturned the law in 2006, saying it amounted to “sex discrimination” and violated the state's Equal Rights Amendment. But the Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, set the record straight in a split decision.
[...]
State Sen. Richard Madaleno has announced he will introduce a bill to allow same-sex "marriage." That's why Doug Stiegler, executive director of the Association of Maryland Families, said the state needs a constitutional amendment protecting marriage.
“While we are delighted that the court made the ruling,” he said, “our job is still cut out for us.”
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
Friday Five: Gary Schneeberger
Focus on the Family Action’s vice president of media relations sorts through some of the controversy that has swirled around Dr. James Dobson in the past few weeks regarding Election ’08.
CitizenLink staff
Focus on the Family
10-12-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005698.cfm
Dr. James Dobson has been squarely in the center of the media spotlight in the last couple of weeks, with reporters and pundits using up a lot of ink and airtime dissecting his statements about the race for the White House.
There’s a lot of information out there — an Oct. 1 Associated Press story about a meeting Dr. Dobson attended in which launching a third party was discussed; Dr. Dobson’s own Oct. 4 op-ed in The New York Times detailing what transpired at the meeting; a couple of interviews with Sean Hannity — so CitizenLink figured it would help readers sort it all out by running five questions past Focus on the Family Action’s vice president of media relations, Gary Schneeberger.
[...]
Dr. Dobson never has said he will personally start a third party or even support efforts to create a new party. All he has said, and you can look it up in his editorial that ran in The New York Times last week, is, “If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate.” That’s not the same as saying, “I’m going to build my own party from the ground up.” It merely is saying, “I’ll look for a candidate who is consistent with my values, who is already running in the primary, and I’ll cast my vote for him.”
One more thing important to note here, from that sentence I just quoted from the Times op-ed, is the word “if.” That’s a huge word to helping understand his perspective. No matter what the polls and pundits are saying, we don’t know the two names that are going to be on the top of that general-election ballot come next November. We’re still in a primary season. And the comments Dr. Dobson has been making in the past few weeks are meant to be understood in that context. There is still time, as values voters, for us to have a voice in who gets the nominations of the two major parties. There are still people out there who agree with us on protecting the preborn, who agree with us on the importance of protecting marriage — and who knows where some of those candidates will be between now and 13 months from now when the election is held?
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
Love Won Out Comes to California
Focus on the Family
10-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005662.cfm
Focus on the Family’s Love Won Out conference will be in Irvine, Calif., on Saturday with a message that change is possible for men and women who want to overcome same-sex attraction.
“Our conference brings hope to people who are unsatisfied living as a gay or lesbian, or who are struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions,” said Melissa Fryrear, director of Focus on the Family’s Gender Issues Department and a Love Won Out speaker.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Golden Compass Reveals a World Where There is No God
Parents need to pay attention to movie that promotes atheism and denigrates Christianity.
Focus on the Family
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
10-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005672.cfm
Golden Compass, which hits theaters in December, creates a parallel world where human souls take the form of animal companions. It's based on Philip Pullman's first novel in His Dark Materials trilogy. It's touted as the next, best fantasy series, but family advocates say parents need to beware.
"The problem is that kids may see the film and ask their parents for the books," said Kiera McCaffrey, director of communications for the Catholic League. "The trilogy of books, especially the third volume, promotes atheism and denigrates Christianity. This is central to the plot.
"We would advise parents not to take their children to see the film, and certainly not to buy them the books. The danger is that parents will not realize, from the film, what Pullman is promoting. Pullman's trilogy shows a world where there is no God."
Adam Holz, associate editor for Focus on the Family's Plugged In magazine and Web site, called the series "heretical."
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
Defending Marriage: Broadcast Guests Call Nation to Action
Dr. Dobson says, 'It's not just marriage that is at stake, it's absolutely everything.'
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
10-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005673.cfm
In just a few years, traditional marriage could lose support under the law. On Wednesday's Focus on the Family radio broadcast, Dr. James C. Dobson and his guests urge pro-family Americans to do something about it.
"This has been an ongoing struggle that burns in our hearts," Dr. Dobson says. "And now, marriage is really on the brink, and I don't know how to emphasize that more."
Joining him on the broadcast are Maggie Gallagher, writer, speaker and president of the National Organization for Marriage; Robbie George, author and professor of law at Princeton University; and Chuck Colson, author and founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries.
"In a couple of years, a third of the country could easily be living under same-sex marriage," Gallagher says. "We have 60, 65 percent of Americans on our side. Why are people so afraid to talk about it?"
Colson says it's time to stand up and fight.
"What alarms me the most is that there's a malaise in the country, where our supporters are giving up on politics," he says. "I think a lot of good people are saying, 'We're going to wash our hands of this. We don't want to get involved.'"
George says time is short.
"I think we have a window of between two and five years," he says. "The collapse of marriage, literally the abolition of marriage, is not 10 years down the road — it's two to five years down the road. It could happen, and it will happen, if we don't step forward."
FOR MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about the National Organization for Marriage, visit the Web site or call (888) 894-3604.
LISTEN TO THE BROADCAST
Dr. Dobson and his guests discuss the institution of marriage on Wednesday's broadcast. You can listen online.
----- 13 -----
Giuliani Joins Washington Briefing
Focus on the Family
10-8-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005660.cfm
Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the ninth presidential candidate to join the Washington Briefing 2007: Values Voter Summit. He'll appear along with Sen. Sam Brownback, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Rep. Duncan Hunter, Sen. John McCain, Rep. Ron Paul, Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Tom Tancredo and Sen. Fred Thompson.
The three-day conference, to be held Oct. 19-21 at the Hilton Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C., will include a presidential straw poll, exhibit hall and book signings.
[more at URL]
----- 14 -----
Take Action: Anti-Bush Talk-Show Host to Moderate GOP Debate
Focus on the Family
10-8-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005655.cfm
Last week, NBC talk-show host Chris Matthews went on a tirade against the Bush administration, saying, "They've finally been caught in their criminality."
On Tuesday, Matthews will moderate a Republican presidential debate.
Erick Erickson, CEO of RedState.com, is urging Republican candidates and voters to call Matthews on the carpet for his bias.
"I will be gravely disappointed if the GOP candidates do not make an issue of this at the debate," he wrote on his Web site. "If the GOP candidates are too chicken to take on Chris Matthews before a live television audience on Matthew's gross bias, they will have disgraced us all."
TAKE ACTION
Tell NBC that Chris Matthews is too biased to host the Republican debate. You may send a message through our new, easier-to-use Action Center.
WATCH THE DEBATE
The two-hour debate will be broadcast live Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET on CNBC and re-broadcast at 9 p.m. ET on MSNBC.
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
New York Times Poll: Evangelicals Agree with Dr. Dobson
Majority only will support a presidential candidate who shares their values.
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
10-8-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005659.cfm
A New York Times/CBS News poll shows white, evangelical Republicans agree with Dr. James Dobson.
Nearly 60 percent of those who plan to vote in the primaries said they could not support a candidate they didn't agree with on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. Eighty-six percent said presidential candidates should be judged on both their political record and their personal life.
Dr. Dobson has taken a beating in the media for promising to vote only for a candidate who shares his basic values, even if that means supporting a third-party candidate.
Last week, he wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times to clarify his position: "Speaking personally, and not for the organization I represent, I firmly believe that the selection of a president should begin with a recommitment to traditional moral values and beliefs. Those include the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, and other inviolable pro-family principles. Only after that determination is made can the acceptability of a nominee be assessed."
Rick Scarborough, president of Vision America, a Texas-based group that has a network of 5,000 pastors willing to mobilize their churches to vote, said evangelicals are not bluffing.
“I am not going to cast a sacred vote granted to me by the blood of millions of God-fearing Americans who died on the fields of battle for freedom, for a candidate who says it’s OK to kill the unborn,” he told The Times. “I just can’t.”
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Group Tracks Adverse Reactions to HPV Vaccine
Pay attention to side effects, but don't jump to conclusions.
Focus on the Family
10-5-2007
from staff reports
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005645.cfm
After pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to release what it knows about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Judicial Watch discovered multiple negative effects.
The public interest group found more than 3,000 adverse reactions linked to Gardasil, which protects against the sexually transmitted HPV. For example, this year, a 17-year-old girl died the day she received the vaccination. In another case, a 12-year-old girl with a heart condition died after one dose of the vaccine.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said parents need to know what’s happening.
“Some people get paralyzed," he told Family News in Focus. "If you’re pregnant and you take the vaccine, there’s a significant chance of birth defects, spontaneous abortion. Whether it be direct or indirect, it certainly raises questions.”
Linda Klepacki, analyst for sexual health at Focus on the Family Action, said the public needs to pay attention to the negative side effects, but not jump to conclusions.
“Cause and effect from one factor is difficult to prove, and it takes a lot of time to prove that," she said. "So, we need to be careful not to be alarmist.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Focus on the Family supports widespread availability of Gardasil, but not mandated vaccination. Visit the Focus on Social Issues Web site.
----- 17 -----
The Values Test
Dr. Dobson says winning an election is important, but not at the expense of our core beliefs.
by James C. Dobson, Ph.D., founder and chairman
Focus on the Family
10-4-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005632.cfm
Reports have surfaced in the press about a meeting that occurred last Saturday in Salt Lake City involving more than 50 pro-family leaders. The purpose of the gathering was to discuss our response if both the Democratic and Republican Parties nominate standard-bearers who are supportive of abortion. Although I was neither the convener nor the moderator of the meeting, I’d like to offer several brief clarifications about its outcome and implications.
After two hours of deliberation, we voted on a resolution that can be summarized as follows: If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate. Those agreeing with the proposition were invited to stand. The result was almost unanimous.
The other issue discussed at length concerned the advisability of creating a third party if Democrats and Republicans do indeed abandon the sanctity of human life and other traditional family values. Though there was some support for the proposal, no consensus emerged.
Speaking personally, and not for the organization I represent or the other leaders gathered in Salt Lake City, I firmly believe that the selection of a president should begin with a recommitment to traditional moral values and beliefs. Those include the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, and other inviolable pro-family principles. Only after that determination is made can the acceptability of a nominee be assessed.
The other approach, which I find problematic, is to choose a candidate according to the likelihood of electoral success or failure. Polls don’t measure right and wrong; voting according to the possibility of winning or losing can lead directly to the compromise of one’s principles. In the present political climate, it could result in the abandonment of cherished beliefs that conservative Christians have promoted and defended for decades. Winning the presidential election is vitally important, but not at the expense of what we hold most dear.
One other clarification is germane, even though unrelated to the meeting in Salt Lake City. The secular news media has been reporting in recent months that the conservative Christian movement is hopelessly fractured and internally antagonistic. The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday, for example, that supporters of traditional family values are rapidly “splintering.” That is not true. The near unanimity in Salt Lake City is evidence of much greater harmony than supposed. Admittedly, differences of opinion exist among us about our choices for president.
That divergence is entirely reasonable, now just over a year before the national election. It is hardly indicative of a “splintering” of old alliances. If the major political parties decide to abandon conservative principles, the cohesion of pro-family advocates will be all too apparent in 2008.
(This piece originally appeared as an op-ed in today's New York Times.)
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Planned Parenthood Opens Nation's Largest Abortion Clinic
Focus on the Family
10-2-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005609.cfm
Hundreds of life advocates peacefully protested and prayed today outside the Aurora, Ill., Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, which was allowed to open after a 14-day delay.
City officials determined Monday that Planned Parenthood’s permit application did not violate any laws or city ordinances. Mayor Tom Weisner gave the green light for the $7.5 million facility to open.
The opening was delayed after Planned Parenthood was accused of committing fraud by applying for building permits under a front company.
Just before the opening, Peter Breen, on behalf of the Thomas More Society in Chicago, filed an appeal with the Aurora Zoning Board of Appeals.
"It won't be over until Planned Parenthood leaves Aurora," Eric Scheidler, a spokesman for the Pro-Life Action League, told The Associated Press.
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Supreme Court Lets Alabama Obscenity Ban Stand
Focus on the Family
10-2-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005610.cfm
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear an appeal on Alabama’s obscenity ban, leaving the 1998 law intact.
[...]
"The Supreme Court's decision to keep Alabama's law intact is a victory for families and citizens concerned about public decency,” said Daniel Weiss, senior media and sexuality analyst for Focus on the Family Action.
“The next step is to make sure sex shops are actually cleaning out their inventories. Upholding the law is one thing, but consistently enforcing it is an entirely different matter. The citizens of Alabama will need to remain vigilant on this issue."
[More at URL]
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Celebrate Pastors During Clergy Appreciation Month
It's also a great time to encourage them to get involved politically.
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
10-2-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005616.cfm
Every October, congregations across the nation set aside time to honor their pastors for their hard work and sacrificial dedication. It's time to do that again.
"As a pastor myself for over three decades, I know firsthand both how difficult and how rewarding it can be to serve a congregation," said H.B. London, vice president of church and clergy ministries at Focus on the Family. "I've discovered that one of the most important things a pastor needs is encouragement and affirmation from his congregation."
[...]
In addition to saying, "Thank you," it's a great time to let pastors know how they can be involved in the political arena and speak biblical truth on the moral issues of the day.
Constitutional Protections for Pastors outlines what pastors can and can't do as they get involved. It was released this week by Focus on the Family, the Alliance Defense Fund, Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America and the James Madison Center for Free Speech.
[More at URL]
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Appeals Court: No Special Rights for Transsexuals
ENDA legislation would tie the hands of employers.
Focus on the Family
by Devon Williams, associate editor
9-25-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/aaa/topstory.html
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that transsexuals are not a protected class and affirmed a transportation company’s decision to terminate a male bus driver for planning to use public women's restrooms during work. Under pending legislation in Congress, the outcome could have been drastically different.
Michael Etsitty was hired by the Utah Transit Authority (UTA), but later told his supervisor he was living as a female named Krystal.
The bus company terminated Etsitty’s employment based on concerns that the use of women’s restrooms by a biological male wearing a UTA uniform could result in liability.
Etsitty sued, claiming he was discriminated against because of his sexuality. The court said UTA’s decision constitutes a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the termination.
[More at URL]
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Appeals Court Says Teen is Entitled to Morning-After Pill
Focus on the Family
9-26-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005559.cfm
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled Friday there's no need to notify parents before or after giving a teenager the morning-after pill, which may sometimes cause an abortion.
Melissa Anspach, then 16, visited the city health clinic in January 2004 and spoke briefly with a social worker before a nurse gave her one dose at the clinic and a second dose to take 12 hours later. She experienced severe abdominal pains and vomiting after taking the medication. She told her parents about the drug, and they took her to a hospital, where she was treated and released, The Associated Press reported.
The Anspachs raised religious objections to the clinic's actions.
[More at URL]
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General Stands by Biblical View of Homosexuality
Focus on the Famliy
9-27-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005567.cfm
A week before his retirement, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said in a Senate hearing Wednesday that homosexuality is immoral and should not be condoned by the military. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wanted to clarify similar statements he made in May to the Chicago Tribune that were inaccurately reported.
Though the U.S. Military Code of Justice prohibits homosexual activity in the military, Pace said he would be willing to support changes to the policy, as long as it didn’t violate his belief that sex should be between one man and one woman within marriage.
"We need to be very precise then, about what I said wearing my stars and being very conscious of it," Pace told the Senate Appropriations Committee. "And that is, very simply, that we should respect those who want to serve the nation but not, through the law of the land, condone activity that, in my upbringing, is counter to God's law."
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Iowa Pastors Push Marriage Amendment
Focus on the Family
10-1-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005599.cfm
More than a dozen Iowa pastors came together last week to defend traditional marriage after a renegade judge struck down the state's Defense of Marriage Act in August. The case is headed for the Iowa Supreme Court.
Church leaders plan to urge their congregations to talk to lawmakers about amending Iowa's constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman, KCCI TV reports.
"God's word is clear to us that marriage is between one man and one woman. Therefore, we are here to stand in unity," said the Rev. Keith Ratliff of Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church in Des Moines.
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New ENDA Language Still Falls Short
U.S. House committee will work on the legislation Tuesday.
Focus on the Family
from staff reports
10-1-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005602.cfm
A vote is just around the corner on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) — a bill that gives homosexuals special rights in the workplace. New language in the legislation removes the category of "gender identity" and supposedly protects religious organizations, but employers are still put between a rock and a hard place.
“We still have the problem that 'actual or perceived sexual orientation' now would be considered a protected category," said Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst with Focus on the Family Action. "And we’ve only granted protected status to seven categories under federal law.”
Matt Barber with Concerned Women for America said ENDA doesn’t protect the freedom of conscience for Christians who run secular businesses.
“For instance, if a business owner who owned a small landscaping company was a Christian, and he chose to not hire individuals who were engaging in immoral sexual behavior, this bill would not protect him," he told Family News in Focus.
[More at URL]
